Geopolitics › Middle East & North Africa › Israel
Benjamin Netanyahu
PM 1996–99, 2009–21, since 2022; vote Oct 27, 2026· Leader
FactTreaties, membership, measured data, events.
Israel's longest-serving prime minister, in office for most years since 2009, facing an election on October 27, 2026.
See it on the Geopolitics map →The picture
Born in 1949, a former commando and UN ambassador, Netanyahu leads the right-wing Likud party. He was prime minister in 1996–99, 2009–21 and again since December 2022, heading Israel's most right-wing coalition yet. His recent tenure spans the 2023 judicial-overhaul protests, the October 7 attack and Gaza war, wars with Iran in 2025 and 2026, and a corruption trial running since 2020. He denies the charges and asked for a pardon in November 2025.
Why it matters
He has shaped Israeli security policy for a generation: skeptical of a Palestinian state, focused on Iran, and closely tied to Washington, especially to Trump.
Record
Knesset and court records, his speeches and memoir 'Bibi: My Story' (2022), and the ICC's November 2024 arrest warrant, which Israel rejects. His legacy is sharply contested.
What to watch
Outlook, not fact: whether he survives the October 2026 vote, where many polls showed his bloc short of a 61-seat majority, and how his trial ends.
Connections (2)
▸Benjamin Netanyahu leads IsraelFact
The relationship
Netanyahu runs Israel as prime minister, the country's real executive post, by holding together a Knesset majority. Since December 2022 his coalition of Likud, far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties has led Israel through the Gaza war and two wars with Iran.
Since when and why
Jerusalem; he has led governments for about 19 years in total, longer than founder David Ben-Gurion. Elections are due October 27, 2026.
How we know
Knesset confidence votes and coalition agreements, published by the Knesset and Israel's government.
What to watch
Outlook: 2026 polls showed challengers such as former army chief Gadi Eisenkot competitive; whether his bloc reaches 61 seats is uncertain.
▸International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Benjamin NetanyahuFact
The relationship
ICC judges issued warrants for Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant, finding reasonable grounds to believe they bear responsibility for war crimes in Gaza, including starvation as a method of warfare, and crimes against humanity. Israel, not an ICC member, rejects the court's jurisdiction and denies the charges; the court cites Palestine's 2015 accession.
Since when and why
Pre-Trial Chamber I, The Hague, November 21, 2024, alongside a warrant for Hamas commander Mohammed Deif; Israel's legal challenges to jurisdiction continued into 2026.
How we know
The court's public announcement; the warrants themselves are classified. Statements by Israel, the US and ICC member states record their responses.
What to watch
Disputed: Israel calls the warrants antisemitic and baseless, and the US calls the court illegitimate; supporters call it equal justice. Hungary hosted him in 2025 without arresting him.